It’s starting to be that time of the year again. The weather starts to turn around. The sun is out and flowers start to bloom. Rubber tires spin frantically around its axis on the track of Bill Armstrong Stadium. It’s time for the Little 500.
Delta Gamma is one of the most successful teams in Little 500 history, winning four races (and one was recently as 2021) and placing in the top five of the last seven races.
This year, they have an experienced team: a senior captain, who rode on the winning team in 2021, two juniors who are returning for their second race, and just one sophomore rookie.
With high expectations, there is pressure on this team to succeed. However, it’s the relationships that stand out with this group.
It is not just the relationships among their four riders that make this group special. It is also the involvement from their alums. Also, each year, their alums come back to cheer on their riders, which is one of the most exciting parts of the weekend.
“I’m also so excited to see the alums,” Elanor Madalon, the captain of the team, said. “They’re the best. The entire weekend, I spend it with them.”
Delta Gamma Captain Eleanor Madalon expands on her relationship with Katherine Free, the head coach, her leadership style as the captain, and more.
The alums do not only show up to support the team on race day. They are always there to help the morale of the riders throughout the season. A few weeks ago, the Delta Gamma riders were in a funk. They lacked the confidence they needed to continue training and succeed on race day. Madalon reached out to two of her old coaches and some of the alumni, asking them to text the other riders on the team and give them a pick-me-up.
“They were like oh my god, of course,” Madalon said.
One of their alums is still involved with the team. Their head coach, Katherine Free, was the senior captain on the team that won the Little 500 in 2021. While she is now their coach, she still keeps a friendly dynamic with the riders. That relationship helps her be the best leader she can be.
She also leads by example, using her experience riding in three Little 500 races to coach the team.
“When you have the experience in the race, I think it actually makes you a better coach, because you can understand what they are feeling” Free said.
Delta Gamma Head Coach Katherine Free gives details on her relationship with the riders this year, her coaching style, and more.
Their strong relationships also shine through in their nicknames. The craziest one is for Shannon Kerr, one of junior riders. Her nickname is “Kermit.” While it seems random, the explanation is not too far-fetched. One of the riders on the team last year was also named Shannon. So, one of them needed a nickname. “Kermit” comes from Kerr, Shannon’s last name. One day, they just started calling her Kermit, and it stuck.
Caitlin May, the lone sophomore on the team, is nicknamed “CMay,” combining the first letter of her first name and her last name. That is a common nickname strategy for Delta Gamma, as their head coach is nicknamed “KFree.”
The nicknames are not just an element of this year’s team. They have been part of Delta Gamma Cycling for years.
“We all have nicknames dating way back to our alumni, so we like to throw some crazy ones in there,” Kerr said. “It makes things really fun.”
With a track record of alumni coming back to coach the team, Madalon would be the next in line. However, she is not positive she will return next year.
“It kinda just depends on what the girls want,” she said. “They always know that I want to support them because they’re my best friends and I love them so much.”
